Supervisors vote to tear down old Swingster building in Ocean Springs -- maybe

Updated April 4, 2016 at 11:35 AM;Posted February 5, 2016 at 1:40 PM

Swingster building 003.jpg

Jackson County supervisors have voted to tear down the old Swingster building in Ocean Springs -- although that action could ultimately be tabled if the city attracts a developer who would tear down the building at his own expense.
(Warren Kulo/Gulflive.com)

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Jackson County supervisors voted Monday to demolish the old Swingster building on Government Street in downtown Ocean Springs, with a caveat.

The sprawling (by small town standards) building has sat on Government Street across from what is now the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center since the 1950's, when Jackson County purchased the property under a federal program which allowed governmental entities to purchase property, construct a building and then lease the building to a company which would guarantee a number of jobs.

The 50,000-square foot building originally housed the E.R. Moore clothing company, which later gave way to the Swingster clothing company. In June 2006, Camp Victor, a ministry founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, used the building to help with rebuilding needs along the Mississippi coast. More than 50,000 volunteers worked though Camp Victor repairing more than 2,000 homes from 2006 to 2012.

The building has remained vacant since Camp Victor closed in 2012.

Supervisor Troy Ross said county officials have been considering the fate of the building for some time and had budgeted funds for its demolition this year.

"We've been inside the building and looked at it and quickly realized it would be cost-prohibitive to try and repair it," Ross said, adding that he estimates it would cost the county in excess of $100,000 to take the building down.

However, Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran has spoken with supervisors about the possibility of her city launching a redevelopment authority which would help attract a developer. She has spoken with one developer, she said, who is interested in the property and willing to take the building down at his own expense.

"We'd love to see that building redeveloped," Moran said. "We're fully in favor of the county taking the building down, unless we do get a developer to do it himself."

Moran said the roof of the building has major leaks and it has become something of an "eyesore" in the downtown area.

"We'd love to see someone come in and redevelop the property, which in turn would increase tax revenues and create jobs," she said.

For now, Ross said the county will proceed with plans to demolish the building. They are currently gathering cost estimates on the demolition, although Ross added they would likely do the work in-house to reduce the cost.